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Question: 2003 Honda Accord, mileage: 85,000.
Today when I was driving to work I had the AC on. After
a while of being stuck in traffic I shut off the AC
since it was really cold inside the car. After 5 minutes
of stop and go traffic, I looked down to my board and
saw the temperature needle rising to the hot area. I
immediately stopped and pop my hood. I noticed that for
some reason the cooling fan were not working. I went
back to the car and shot off the engine. As soon as I
took the key out the cooling fan started working. Then I
put the car in switch and the cooling fan stopped
working again. I then waited for the car to cool off. I
then started the car again and turn on the AC. After
this both cooling fans started working. I then shut off
the AC and left the car running. After 3 minutes the car
started overheating again and I repeated the same
operation. Turn on the AC and the fans started working.
Shut off the AC and left the car running and it started
overheating again. The cooling fans at no point came on.
I then shut off the car and the fan started working. I
checked the cooling fan fuse and it's ok. I then checked
the cooling fan relay under the hood since I have had
the same exact problem with an 1989 Accord LX-I I had
own previously and it ended up being the cooling fan
relay. The power window relay and the cooling fan are
exactly the same. I swapped relays just to se if the
problem could off been the relay but not even with the
relay swap the fans worked. After I swap the relays I
started the car again and let it run and it started
overheating again. I put the relays back where they
belonged and just drove off to work with the AC on.
Answer: You probably have a cooling fan
control relay that has failed. Replace cooling fan relay
to repair problem. Recheck system
Question: 2004 Mitsubishi Eclipse
mileage: 75,000. I just replaced my radiator with a used
one three days ago because the tank blew off. Yesterday
I was driving 60 miles per hour when my car started
hesitating and slowing down. Then my thermostat started
to show the engine heating up really fast. I was pulling
off the side of the road when all of the emergency
lights (oil, brake, coolant, etc.) came on. I turned on
the engine and a few minutes later, my upper hose blew.
I replaced it and started to drive. My car is constantly
over heating. Any suggestions?
Answer: It sounds like you may have
a blown head gasket. Disassemble to inspect and replace
as needed. Reassemble to recheck system.
Question: 2003 Dodge Ram 1500
mileage: 78,000. My truck overheated. I took it to a
mechanic. After keeping it over night, they called and
said it was the water pump. They estimated the cost to
be $450.00. I told them to go ahead and change it. I
then asked them to check and see if there had been any
damage to the engine. When they called back to tell me
the car was ready they told me that there hadn't been
any damage to the engine and even if there had been, it
would have been smoking, which it had not been. Later
that day I went to pick up my car. They told me that it
wasn't overheating anymore and I could take it home. I
didn't even get a mile down the road and it got
extremely hot. I turned right around and took it back. A
mechanic got in my car even after I told him it was
extremely hot and didn't return for about 20 minutes.
When he came back, I noticed my car was smoking really
badly. Well, they then took it in the shop for about 30
minutes. They told me that it was just an air pocket and
now it was just fine. Well it overheated on my way home.
We took it back the following day and they said it was
now a blown head gasket. I then wrote a note to the
Better Business Bureau telling them what had happened.
About a week later, the owner called and said that he
would give us the $450.00 back for the water pump. But
nothing else could be done. He said it was the head
gasket the whole time and they're just sorry they didn't
catch it. My question is did they have to change the
water pump to know if it was the head gasket? And could
they have told right away by checking if there was water
in the oil? And also do you guys think I have a good
case to take to small claims court? Please answer as
soon as possible.
Answer: It sounds like you
have a water pump that failed causing the engine to
overheat and blow the head gaskets. This is a common
problem with cars today, the water pump fails causing
other problems. Today's automobile should replace the
water pump every 4 years to help stop catastrophic
engine failure.
eAutoPartStore.com has replacement water pumps
for from $48.00
Question: 2002 Ford Taurus Wagon
mileage: 90,000. The head gaskets were replaced at
60,000 miles. After this repair, I noticed the car
always ran hot - the needle hovered between the "M" and
"A" of NORMAL. The dealer told me not to worry about it.
This vehicle has had regular 3,000 mile oil and filter
changes. Two weeks ago, the engine developed a very loud
clackety-clack sound, so off to the dealership I went.
To diagnose the problem, they removed the oil pan and
discovered that numbers 2 & 3 rods were "spun" and that
I needed a new block. They claim that this was an
"internal failure" and unrelated to the known head
gasket problem these 3.8L engines have. Further
questioning revealed that it was a "broken" wrist pin
that caused this problem. My question to you is for a
reality check of their explanation. Is it possible that
the history I have had with head gasket repairs and
overheating caused the wrist-pin failure? Can wrist-pin
failure be determined without pulling the heads? And,
most of all, is it worth it to have the engine block
replaced since I already have logged 90,000 miles?
Answer: This is a sticky one.
Sometimes when mechanics aren't careful they can leave
debris inside the engine when cleaning gaskets surfaces
etc. This contamination finds its way down into the
engine causing crankshaft failure. The problem comes
when trying to prove it, it is difficult.
Question:
2003 Toyota Tundra mileage: 90,000. This has been a
nightmare, I would appreciate any feedback you can give.
My truck has a white smoke/steam that comes out of the
radiator. The temperature go's up fast. The
water level in the radiator seems fine. I have
added coolant. I took it in to a mechanic b/c it
appeared I needed a new upper and lower radiator
hose. They also recommended spending $700+ on a new
water pump that they thought might be clogged.
Well, I couldn't afford that so I had them do everything
but the water pump. As I drove home from the shop,
the car smoked again. Any suggestions?
Should a water pump cost that much? I am taking it
to a new mechanic tomorrow and would like any heads up
you can give. Thank you.
Answer:
It sounds like your thermostat it stuck closed and needs
replacing.
Question:
2003 Dodge Ram 2500 mileage: 60,000. It recently
overheated--the heater would not work, so we changed the
thermostat. This appeared to fix it. Then, 9
months later, my radiator started leaking, and the car
overheated again. We ended up replacing the
radiator and cap, thermostat, water pump, and the belt.
This appeared to fix it...again, for a month or so.
Now, After 1-1.5 minutes, the car overheats (way past
the H on the gauge), but it doesn't seem like it's
really that hot (no fumes/steam or ticking noises).
Occasionally, I notice the oil pressure light come on
(especially on sharp turns), even though I had the oil
changed last week. I also noticed a
greenish-yellow slime on the inside of the oil cap after
I had my oil changed, but the oil looks fine when you
check the dipstick. Any ideas?
Answer:
If your car is overheating in a minute or so, the
thermostat may be stuck and needs replacing. The
greenish-yellow slime inside the oil cap is probably due
to a seeping head gasket and or a cracked head.
Question:
2002 Ford E150 Van mileage:77,000. A year ago, our
radiator was leaking so we got a new one and replaced
it. I noticed that the engine was then running
hotter - towards the top of the normal range where it
had always before been in the middle and sometimes to
overheating. My husband replaced the temperature
sending unit and the thermostat. I was also having
to put water and coolant back in but not seeing any
leaks or signs of leaks. My husband has decided
that it must just want to run hotter. Running the
heater does not have much if any effect when it is
running hot. Now I have noticed if I let the
water level stay down below where it should be it will
get hot at first then settle back in the middle of the
normal range. After a short time then it starts to
get too hot again. At times, it smells hot also.
The water pump appears to be fine. Do I need a new
cap? In addition, if I do what pressure? I
hate to replace anything else unless we know it is
necessary. Thanks for your help. Driving it
this way is making me a nervous wreck.
Answer:
Try replacing the fan clutch with new, recheck system.
Question:
2000 Ford Contour mileage: 118,000. I recently had
a car-overheating problem. I didn't notice and the
engine started to lack power and feel strained and
'click'. I pulled over and saw that the engine was very
hot. When I pulled off the radiator cap, it was
empty, when I filled it with a little water, all of it
dissolved into steam. The next morning I went back
and filled it with water and there was a crack in the
top of the radiator. Did I cause this by trying to
fill it with water when the engine was hot causing a
split, or was this the problem earlier by it leaking out
and I did no harm by trying to fill it?
Answer: We do not think that
adding water when you did caused the crack in the
radiator. The crack in the radiator is a sign that
it need to be replaced.
Question: 2004 BMW 745i
mileage: 50,000 Noted in past few days that my engine
is over heating. I have check radiator fluid and
is ok. Also, check thermostat and believe it is
ok. What else could be causing problem, could it
be fan clutch and if it is how can I check it?
Answer: The best way to test a
thermo fan clutch is to inspect it for leaks. The grease
will leak out causing operation failure. Replacing the
thermo fan clutch can repair your problem.
Question:
2004 Ford Freestar mileage: 65,000. I was
sitting at the drive thru window of a fast food
restaurant when it started smoking and hissing from the
engine, I got out and checked and it seemed to be coming
from the radiator, it was antifreeze that was spraying
out everywhere. In the previous few days before
this happened I noticed that the heat was taking a lot
longer to get hot...please tell me this is something
simple, for I have 3 children and not the means to fix
something major. Thank you very much for your help!
Answer:
Check for coolant leaks. If there are none,
replace thermostat with new, check to see that the
radiator fan cycles on and off when the car is at normal
operating temperature.
Question:
2003 Mercedes Benz ML 350
mileage: 61,000.
Recently my temperature gauge has been fluctuating
wildly. The gauge reads almost (but not quite) in the
red then falls back to the center of the normal range.
I cannot predict what will make the needle move (speed,
vent, a/c, etc.). Along with this wild
fluctuation, the car intermittently blows cold air when
the heat is on. Please help.
Answer: We think your problem is a low
coolant level. With the engine cold open the
radiator cap (not the overflow cap) and it should be
clear full. If not, you have a leak, trouble shoot
to repair as needed. ex: water pump, coolant hoses,
radiator.
Question:
2001 Mazda MPV mileage: 67,000. The engine
overheats quickly. It has a new water pump,
radiator. The coolant seems to be forced out the
overflow, leaving nothing. Could there be a clog
in the water jackets or is it something else?
Answer:
Replace the thermostat with new, reassemble to recheck
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